On recently deglaciated terrain, soil instability can be a physical barrier limiting seedling establishment. Here we used a space-for-time approach to study the role of biological soil crust (biocrust) as soil surface stabilizer and facilitator of ecological succession along a glacier forefield chronosequence at the retreating Conejeras glacier in the Tropical Andes. We used the point-intercept method to estimate surface cover...

The Gulf of Mexico is chronically exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons from natural seeps and anthropogenic activities, sustaining diverse microbial communities capable of hydrocarbon degradation. To investigate natural bacterial succession associated with long-term hydrocarbon degradation, sediment samples from shallow ( 2500 m) sites in the southern Gulf of Mexico were incubated at 4 °C for up to 24 months. Temporal changes in...

Edible wild mushrooms constitute a valuable marketable non-wood forest product with high relevance worldwide. There is growing interest in developing tools for estimation of mushroom yields and to evaluate the effects that global change may have on them. Remote sensing is a powerful technology for characterization of forest structure and condition, both essential factors in triggering mushroom production, together with meteo-c...

Coastal ecosystems with karstic geology have a unique characteristic where the dissolution of carbonate rocks can increase total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This results in higher inorganic carbon budgets in coastal areas. One such ecosystem is the Terminos Lagoon, the most extensive tropical estuarine lagoon system in Mexico, located in the karstic aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula and connected to th...